Today was our first day to explore YNP together. First we drove north to the Middle Geyser Basin to see the Grand Prismatic Spring. Once we got there the hot temperature coming from the spring mixing with the cool morning air (temp. 23) made so much steam we couldn't see the multi-colored spring. So, maybe we'll return tomorrow and see it. It is only 20 minutes north of Ground Zero. Here is a picture I took within the Middle Geyser Basin.

We then drove further northeast to Canyon Village, home of Lower Falls. This was 42 miles from Old Faithful.

As you look at the above picture and see the brink of the falls, the next two pictures below show LaRayne and I standing on a large platform right at this brink. The falls drops 308 feet. Even though we were securely behind the railing we both found ourselves squeezing the pipe railing. I may have mentioned before but this is also the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone with a gorge of between 700-1,400 in fall and is two miles long.

Then we drove south to the Mud Volcanoes. The one volcano had a pH of 1, battery acid is pH0, so you can imagine the damage it could do. Some geysers have nearly perfect pH as underground spring drinking water, while others reach temperatures of 170 degrees.

Then we continued south to Lake Village for supper. We ate at their EDR (employee dining room) as our employee I.D. cards entitle us to eat at an EDR anywhere in Yellowstone. After eating we walked through the Yellowstone Hotel on Yellowstone Lake. It was very classy and elegant looking. It looked like you had to have lots of money to stay there. The Presidential Suite was only $650/night. 

Then we drove a short one mile to Fishing Bridge. LaRayne remembers driving over this as a youngster with her family and seeing tons of people fishing on both sides. Fishing from this bridge was closed in 1973 as Cutthroat Trout was nearly fished-out as this was their main spawning ground on the Yellowstone River. 

We finished our westward drive along the north shore of Yellowstone Lake before turning north and returning back to Old Faithful. We returned home around 8:00 P.M. and drove approximately a 100 mile loop.